Butchart Gardens

We had a swell time at Butchart Gardens today. We've only ever been
here before in the winter, and it's a whole different show this time
of year. Plants are in bloom, for one thing. Much warmer and less
rainy for another.

We didn't break any records getting the anchor up and getting out of
Ganges this morning... it was pleasant and we lingered until 0900 or
so. We had favorable tides, but even so planned to motor the three
hours or so down just because the winds are so shifty around here,
and because I figured that mid-morning/early-afternoon might be the
best time to snag one of the four mooring buoys that the Gardens
maintain in Butchart Cove just off their dinghy dock. Failing that,
we would have to anchor around the corner in Todd Inlet and row
around... not nearly so pleasant.

As luck would have it, we caught the last open buoy and so we're
hanging maybe sixty feet from the dinghy dock, a quick row away. We
went back and forth a couple of times, just for the heck of it.

No sooner had we tied the boat up and got our stern tie rigged than
two other boats swung into the cove, looking for accommodations. We
just beat them, something of a miracle considering our leisurely 5
knot cruising speed.

I have no doubt Mandy will have much more to say on the subject of
the Gardens. I just enjoyed them moderately, but she spent a few
more hours wandering around in them than I did. I soaked up sunshine
and read instead.

This is a great little spot but I don't want to hog the buoy, so
we'll get out at a reasonable hour in the morning and see how far the
wind takes us. We're in no real hurry, but we're definitely heading
for home at this point... it becomes more attractive the closer we
get, and although we're having some good times now near the end of
the trip, it just seems like it's about time to wrap it up and get
back to the more mundane parts of our lives. So, we'll probably be
back inside of a week. What we'll do with the boat is as yet
undecided. The leak rate varies greatly and not always predictably
(although we believe we have isolated the forward one to the
knotmeter thru-hull, at least). It seems to increase with heavy seas
or speed, but it's hard to observe scientifically when we're out
bouncing around a lot. Anyway, it should be fine on the water for
the remainder of the season, but I don't know if we'll leave it in
that long or haul-out early. Probably we'll wait and talk about it
after we get home and get some perspective on things.